“Berlin is one of the best cities in the world for LGBT tourists,” said Groffman. “With the QueerBerlin map, we highlight some of our favorite places—the very same which we would recommend to family and friends that tourists might not be able to find on their own."

He is originally from Texas and was a graphic designer for a major U.S. book publisher before setting off to travel the world after being inspired to quit his job and travel by a long weekend trip to Iceland.

Groffman started his website as a travel blog but then decided to focus on publishing information on LGBT travel.

“I realized there were not a lot of sources for helping gay travelers,” he said. “There were a lot of great blog,s but my experience wasn’t really reflected in them. I targeted my audience to focus on LGBT people.”

Groffman is now known for his Hipster City Guides and covers both mainstay LGBT destinations as well as lesser-known hotspots.

“I see the Hipster City Guides as gay travel guides,” he says. “Gay travelers today, especially in more gay-friendly cities aren’t necessarily going to just “gay” bars. There are a lot of cool bars that attract LGBT people but they are gay hangouts.”

“I use social media to connect with other people,” he said. “People get to see me living in Berlin and that grows the popularity of my Berlin guide because, through me, they get to see what gay Berlin is really like.”

Now, he has added to his repertoire of Berlin guides with the QueerBerlin map. In addition to the hotspots for LGBT travelers visiting Berlin, there are specific walking tours included in the map.

For those interested in purchasing QueerBerlin, it’s available at select retail shops in the city as well as online for 5€.

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